Holly
by Isabel Night
Summary: Twenty years after the war with Talpa, Dais learns something important.


**Disclaimer** - I will never own Dais or any of the characters that are not of my own creation. All these characters belong to his/her respective owners, producers, voice actors, and all people associated with the series. I am not making any money from this fan fiction, nor should I receive any money for such reasons.

_Holly  
__Isabel Night_

"Tonight's weather is going to be clear with a small chance of evening clouds. Lows should reach around three degrees Celsius. We'll give you a full update from our meteorologist..."

Kuroda Dais turned away from the slim, liquid crystal display of a television advertised from behind the window of an electronics store. Normally, he brushed off weather reports as a minor concern - he didn't live in this city of steel and concrete. Besides, it wasn't as if the winter winds were going to freeze old war scars. The patch covering his left eye was a testament to when men wore swords over their _hakama_ and dead bodies were a common sight to all samurai. _'Things have changed since I left the Mortal Realm,' _Dais thought sadly as he walked down one of the busy streets of Downtown Tokyo in sloppily mixed mortal clothes.

He needed a break from the Nether Realm. Being accountable for the central rice storehouses was harder than it appeared. From the report he just listened to, it was going to turn cold quickly. More running around was better than leaving the city's residents unprepared. Modern conveniences such as "refrigerators" were still unknown in the world of spirits.

Another convenience he, Cale, Sekhmet, and Kayura had never become comfortable with was the sound of mortals chatting on contraptions known as "cell phones." The eager voices of men calling their wives about dinner and young women making plans to meet with their friends at fashionable restaurants made Dais's head throb. _'All this chatter - how can anyone think?'_

His current irritation was not important. After all, when the Ronin Warriors' human friend, Mia Koji, told the "United Nations Organization" about the nine armors, rumors of a human invasion spread throughout the City of Desire. Such gossip was eventually dispelled, but the lingering paranoia of mortal settlements remained. Not helping were speculations from respected historians and geographers on how to reach the Golden City. In the end, and much to Dais's relief, plans to reach the Nether Realm languished from a lack of government funding.

_'Enough!'_ Dais scolded himself. _'Thinking about past rumors will get me nowhere. It would be better if I -'_

"Nishimura Kiyoshi," a voice said, coming from Dais's right. "I swear, you have some of the craziest ideas."

The speaker's tone helped Dais focus back to his current location - a small outdoor café. In front of him were various men and women sitting down, drinking coffee, and reading books. Yet the table closest to the sidewalk, where the words appeared to have come from, was taken up by three young men with no food or drink. They seemed to be enjoying each others' company. Dais assumed that they were here to socialize.

"Don't look at me like that, Takashi." Kiyoshi Nishimura smiled, blushing while running a hand through his black hair. "Asking Umeko to help out with the reception for my older sister's wedding isn't crazy, nor is it a date."

"Of course it is," Wakahisa Takashi joked. "Once the music starts playing, you're going to ask her to dance. If you get lucky, you'll have your first kiss. Don't you agree, Yuuta?"

"You'll invite me to the wedding, right?" Matsuoka Yuuta grinned, going along with the teasing.

"Yuuta..." Kiyoshi shook his head, wishing his friends would stop. "I've told you guys already, she's helping out with the reception. It's not a date. Besides, you two would announce my love-life to our classmates before I started dating someone."

That last sentence made Dais smile. How often had he and the other former Warlords joked about some event or trivial problem? How often had he been teased about snooping on the other Warlords when they had taken an interest in someone?

Within the privacy of his mind, Dais somehow managed to stop the group's conversation. As the three young men turned to face him, the one named Kiyoshi glanced at Dais with his brown eyes. "Can I help you?"

"I'm sorry," Dais replied, cursing internally from his lack of manners. "I heard you and your two friends talking and it reminded me of someone."

Kiyoshi stared at their intruder. The man couldn't be older than twenty-one, but he wore an eye patch. His visible eye was pale blue, which meant he had western blood in him. However, what caught his attention was the light shining in his eye. He had seen the same look in his grandparents' eyes - this man had witnessed too much in his lifetime. "Do you need help with anything?"

"Kiyoshi," Yuuta hissed into his friend's ear. "He's a complete stranger. Why are you asking if he needs help?"

"We're in a public area," Kiyoshi pointed out. "Just what do you think he might do?"

"Tell me you're not seriously considering talking to this Westerner?"

"I'm not a Westerner," Dais interrupted, speaking in is his native Kanto dialect.

Yuuta looked at Dais. The man spoke Japanese as if it was his first language, but his words sounded ancient. No one spoke in the archaic dialect. "We need to get out of here."

"Good idea," Takashi agreed. "Let's get going."

"I'm staying." Kiyoshi decided.

"Why?" Takashi and Yuuta asked in unison.

"Remember the paper we have to write on the Sengoku Jidai? Maybe someone who's been trained to speak in the ancient Kanto dialect can help us."

"No," Yuuta insisted before grabbing Kiyoshi's hand. "We have to leave and now."

"I'll be fine," Kiyoshi yanked free. "So he's been trained to speak ancient Japanese. This could be a benefit for the three of us."

"I refuse to have you near this -"

"It's all right," Dais switched to a more modern tone, interrupting Yuuta. Now that he wasn't Talpa's Warlord of Illusion, Dais found it more convenient to appear as non-threatening as possible. "Like your friend said, I'm trained to speak ancient and modern Japanese. I'm sorry if I scared you."

Kiyoshi smirked to his two friends. "See. I can't believe you two overreacted. If you're getting so uptight with a stranger, then I think you'd better leave."

"Not without...oh fine, I can never win with you." Yuuta sighed as he reached into his pocket and handed Kiyoshi his cell phone. "If anything happens, call me on Takashi's phone."

"I will," Kiyoshi promised before inviting Dais to take a seat. It wasn't until the other two boys had left that Dais felt comfortable. "Your friends seem a bit possessive."

"Sometimes." Kiyoshi shrugged. "I've known them since high school. They're worried I'm too trusting with other people."

"They should be nicer to strangers," Dais chuckled. "Their reaction was completely uncalled for."

Kiyoshi eyed Dais suspiciously. Why would this stranger, especially an odd-looking one, start giving him advice on his friends? "Is there any reason why I shouldn't be nice to you?"

"Not at all. The reason I was staring was because the three of you reminded me of a friend that died many years ago. We were very close, and sometimes it still hurts to think about him."

"You've already said that." Kiyoshi reminded him. "If it bothers you that much, maybe you should start seeing a psychiatrist."

"They've proven to be worthless in this situation."

"Then what makes you think I can help you? I'm just a college student."

"You're the perfect person to talk to." Dais reasoned.

"How do you know that?"

"Surely the strong connection you have with your friends can be applied to another group who had a similar connection?"

The answer took Kiyoshi by surprise. What was the world coming to when Takashi and Yuuta were correct about an outsider? It was too late to back out of the conversation. "Alright, fine. If you want a lesson on losing a friend, then all I can tell you is that everyone in the world can't stop for one death."

"Grief and death go together, but when a person can't tell the difference, they end up hating reality. It makes it hard to move on with our lives because if we do, that means we have to acknowledge our past."

"So I shouldn't hate the world because my friend died?" Dais demanded.

"Not really. The world is fickle, and sometimes enlightenment can happen years after someone's death. It took me some time before I found my own views on things like war, grieving, and friendship."

"And those are?"

"There are times when a person has no say in the matter."

Dais's eye narrowed at Kiyoshi's conclusion. "You seem quite sure of that."

"It's the truth. Before he died, my grandfather fought against the Americans. He was friends with another man who saved his life by taking a bullet for him. When his friend died, it took many years for my grandfather to reconcile that moment. It wasn't an easy task, especially since that memory could be pushed aside for more pressing, daily matters."

The owner of the café came to the table, telling both men that he was closing down in another five minutes. Making note to check the time, Kiyoshi resumed talking.

"Before he died, my grandfather told me that the reason his friend took that bullet was because he believed that my grandfather's life was more important than his own. No matter how many years he protested that logic, he couldn't change what happened. It's not a lesson he learned willingly; in fact, most people don't even think about someone dying for them until they're forced to confront it. Memorials honor the dead, but continuing to grieve for a long time isn't healthy."

"Then, what is the answer?"

"People make choices. How we act has a huge impact on those around us. How a person acts is the most important part when being viewed. If you do well, then people will perceive you as good. That doesn't mean everyone is immune to hard events, but moral conduct helps us respond to those moments of pain."

"I thought you said you were college student?" Dais dwelt on the younger man's words.

"I am. It took me several years to come to my own conclusion about grief."

"I think you've become very wise."

"Thank you," Kiyoshi smiled. "By the way, I never asked you your name."

"My name is Kuroda Jirougorou."

"Nishimura Kiyoshi. I hope the conversation wasn't boring?"

"It wasn't. I thank you for being honest with me." Dais pulled out a scrap of paper and began writing something.

"No problem. Now, maybe you can help me -"

A tap on Kiyoshi's shoulder by the owner told him that he needed to leave. Standing up from his seat, Kiyoshi noticed that the chair across from him was empty. _'It can't be! I just turned away for a few seconds!'_

Running into the crowd, Kiyoshi started scanning both directions. When his search failed, Kiyoshi took out and dialed Takashi's number. He didn't wait long for an answer. "Hello! Hello!"

"Takashi, where are you and Yuuta?"

"We're in a clothing store a block away. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You're not going to believe what just happened with that man..."

In mid-sentence, Kiyoshi noticed a stack of _yen_ bills laid out across the table. Putting the phone down, he moved closer towards the money, only to find a neatly written note. Picking up the paper, he read aloud: "Use this to take Umeko out on a date after your sister's wedding."

_THE END_


End file.
